


Fox in Merchant's Clothing

by MyrnaMaeve



Category: Stella Glow
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 14:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18478027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyrnaMaeve/pseuds/MyrnaMaeve
Summary: In which Ewan is an actual fox boy.





	Fox in Merchant's Clothing

Ewan had parents, once. They had been merchants, living in Norun City and masquerading as humans. His mother had been kind and wise, and it was from her that he had learned how to read, how to write, and how to calculate profits. His father had been mischievous and witty, able to get people to dance to his tune with clever words and implied incentives. From him Ewan learned how to bargain and haggle, how to read a person's body language, and how to pick locks.

"It's a good skill to have, the ability to pick locks," his father had told him. "You'll never know when it might come in handy, and people will hide all sorts of things behind locks."

The most important thing Ewan's parents had taught him was also one of the very first things they had taught him - how to take on a physical human form. A fox his age was too young to power illusions on his own, and it was important to be able to blend in with humanity.

"Humans fear what they don't understand, little one," his mother had explained. "They always have. And when humans are scared, they lash out, and people get hurt. Blending in keeps us safe."

Ewan's parents had been impressed by how quickly he had learned how to change from fox to human, although Ewan himself was frustrated that he couldn't make himself look perfectly human. Even when he got everything else right, his tail always remained. It was the one thing that he couldn't fully master.

"The tail is always the hardest thing to hide," his mother had said. "They hold our power, and hiding them away like everything else is much more difficult, because of it. Most don't manage it until they're much older."

"You're still young, cub," his father had agreed. "The fact that you've managed a transformation as good as this at your age is amazing! I wasn't anywhere near that good until I was three times your age. You should be proud of yourself. You're going to do great things someday."

Despite his parents words, Ewan still felt that he should have been able to do better. He was so good at everything else, thanks to his intelligence, so why couldn't he master this? His parents always sounded so sure of him, so proud, and he wanted to prove, even if only to himself, that he had been worthy of it.

Especially after they were gone.

He had been seven when his parents had gone on a business trip and never come back. Ewan was originally supposed to go with them, but he'd come down with a cold, and so his parents had left him in the care of a close friend while they were away, a weaver named Rayna. She'd been the one to tell him what happened, when the news finally reached Norun. How the caravan his parents had been traveling with was attacked in-transit by monsters… and how his parents were among the many casualties.

The following year had been hard for Ewan, as he tried to come to grips with everything. He owed more than he could repay to Rayna, for taking him in in the aftermath, and providing him with emotional support when everything grew to be too much. There had been days where he couldn't be bothered to take human form, and spent all day as a fox. Rayna would let him lie on her lap as she worked at the loom on those days, telling him stories as she wove. It helped.

Ewan couldn't grieve forever, though, and he knew his parents would have wanted him to move on and live his life to the fullest. He started reaching out to his parents' merchant contacts, asking for tips and advice, and began taking on odd jobs to save up money as his plans started to take shape. He was ten when Ewan Inc became a reality, with Rayna as his main provider of fine fabrics. Ewan had helped to save her shop by coming up with the legend of the tailed child, who was said to bring good fortune to those who saw him. The tail he had been so annoyed with in the past became a symbol of his success, and he couldn't help but feel that his parents would be proud of the change.

Three years passed, and Ewan Inc flourished, with Ewan himself becoming one of the most successful businessmen in all of Regnant. He traveled all over in search of wares and deals, honing his skills along the way, taking joy both in the acquisition of gold and in pulling tricks on unsuspecting humans.

Then the request came in from the Merchant Union. The economy of the coastal town of Port Noir was booming for reasons that no one could explain, and it called for an investigation. The mystery of the situation intrigued Ewan, and the potential for chaos appealed to his fox nature, so he decided to head the investigation himself. Who knew what secrets he might find?


End file.
